kibble
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
noun
verb
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of kibble1
First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain
Origin of kibble2
First recorded in 1665–75, kibble is from the German word Kübel pail, vat
Explanation
Kibble is dry pet food. If your dog is sitting next to her dish and looking up at you with big, mournful eyes, she wants you to give her some kibble. You might be more likely to call kibble "dog food" or "cat food" — or even "guinea pig food." It's an all-purpose term for any kind of meal or feed that's formed into hard pellets, and it's a very common type of food for feeding pets and livestock. This word dates from around 1955, from a now uncommon verb meaning "to grind or chop coarsely."
Vocabulary lists containing kibble
Starfish
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Dog Squad
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The World According to Humphrey
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I knew it would be way more expensive than dry kibble.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
Sykes gives her indoor cat, Freckles, regular kibble exclusively.
From Salon • Feb. 12, 2025
I then fed my dog kibble containing seaweed extract that most likely came from China and fish oil that was probably from Peru.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 26, 2024
Long-term possibilities could include distributing polar bear kibble, but Dr. Derocher said that it wasn’t possible to sustain a subpopulation that way indefinitely.
From New York Times • Jun. 13, 2024
He thought of the brimming comfort of his kibble bowl, the pleasure of Peter’s hand-fed treats and the ultimate reward: peanut butter.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.